“I am working to establish a unique visual language. A painting begins with a bright ground and bold strokes. I continue, painting out and scraping off, making marks. I am building up surfaces, ghosting out lines, finding my words. It is humbling to realize the uncertainty of spontaneity.”

Originally from Charleston, Eileen Blyth is a Columbia based artist known for her expressive paintings and sculptures of found objects. After graduating from the College of Charleston with a Bachelor of Arts, Eileen studied design at The University of South Carolina.

Favoring a mixed media approach to her paintings, Eileen often uses acrylic paint with graphite on paper. This choice of medium and surface creates an image with evident “work” and “sketching” elements. The pulling and pushing of paint is evident in Eileen’s work as her pieces show a back and forth conversation with the paint and the graphite. She says, “Somewhere between building the surface and making and erasing marks there is a shift. It is that moment of knowing, of seeing that shape or line, of finding the composition that is the exciting thing for me.” Eileen’s use of a muted palette makes her paintings approachable and calm, but when she hits the paper with additions of bright, vivid color, the painting has exciting moments that keep the viewer enthralled in the work.